Prominent Virginia Democrat Legislator Proclaims Opposition to the ACP

Virginia Delegate David Toscano (D-57th, Charlottesville), who served until this year as Minority Leader of the Virginia House of Delegates, announced on January 2 his strong opposition to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP). In a special communication, posted on his website and emailed to constituents, Toscano likened the ACP to a “old automobile in need of a valve job – it is leaking serious oil, suffers by comparison to newer, more advanced models, and even if it can be made roadworthy, you and I will pay the bill for decades.”

Toscano, who relinquished his leadership position after 8 years but continues as a Member of the House of Delegates, said that “when this massive pipeline was proposed, I was skeptical but willing to listen. I recognized that our state legislature had no vote on the pipeline, but I nonetheless brought my serious concerns to the attention of Dominion, state agencies, and my constituents.” But, he writes, “what I heard when this was first presented about future energy needs requiring the building of this massive new pipeline has been undercut by developments over and over again.” Citing the December judgment of the Virginia State Corporation Commission that questioned the excessiveness of the energy need forecasts of Dominion Energy, recent decisions on the ACP by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals striking down ACP permits and the significant change in the energy landscape in the last decade regarding the affordability of renewable energy sources, Toscano concludes that we need not “embrace a pipeline as massive as the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.”

Delegate Toscano’s letter is available here. ABRA members and supporters are encouraged to express your gratitude to Delegate Toscano for his forthright letter. Contact information for writing him is at https://davidtoscano.com/contact-david-toscano.